Area 51: Legend

Rating:
Summary: Too Much Time On Their Hands
Review: 14,000 years ago on another planet far away, the human population revolted against their Airlia overlords and managed to free their planet. Unfortunately, it was a Pyrrhic victory, the war left few alive, and the planet's ecosystem dying. Now a small number of the survivors launch themselves into space to find other Airlia ruled enclaves and save the inhabitants, who are being groomed for a titanic battle between super-races.

Two of these travelers, Donnchadh and Gwalcmei come to our own planet, where the Airlia have established the city of Atlantic, and the human inhabitants are still too primitive to mount any resistance. Their plan is to continually disrupt Airlia plans until the time was right for the final revolt. It would take the full 14,000 years, and this book is the story of most of them.

In one sense this is a typical 'aliens founded the earth' book. Doherty manages to attribute most of the Middle East's history to the machinations of Donnchadh and Gwalcmei and their opponents. Atlantis, Pharaohs, Moses, Druids and King Arthur, all become part of a vast, slightly paranoid puzzle. This book ties together the many threads that led up to the original Area 51 story - sometimes by stretching the historical truth, sometimes by fabricating things wholesale.

Doherty's style manages to keep this from becoming tedious, although I'm not sure I want to ever read any more about Donnchadh and Gwalcmei and their adventures. The book covers such a long period of time and so many events that the narrative sometimes gets thin, but, overall, interest gets maintained - I've certainly read worse in this genre. Since this is a prequel, it's not absolutely necessary to have read the other books in the series, but not knowing the future erodes the rational behind some of the actions in this volume.

In any case, it's quite readable, as it the entire series. I still find myself irritated occasionally by a plot that requires humans to be perpetually lagging intellectually. But if you are going to have alien super-races you are going to have to accept the existence of guileless humans. As long as we zap them in the end, I guess it's all right.

Rating:
Summary: Too Much Time On Their Hands
Review: 14,000 years ago on another planet far away, the human population revolted against their Airlia overlords and managed to free their planet. Unfortunately, it was a Pyrrhic victory, the war left few alive, and the planet's ecosystem dying. Now a small number of the survivors launch themselves into space to find other Airlia ruled enclaves and save the inhabitants, who are being groomed for a titanic battle between super-races.

Two of these travelers, Donnchadh and Gwalcmei come to our own planet, where the Airlia have established the city of Atlantic, and the human inhabitants are still too primitive to mount any resistance. Their plan is to continually disrupt Airlia plans until the time was right for the final revolt. It would take the full 14,000 years, and this book is the story of most of them.

In one sense this is a typical 'aliens founded the earth' book. Doherty manages to attribute most of the Middle East's history to the machinations of Donnchadh and Gwalcmei and their opponents. Atlantis, Pharaohs, Moses, Druids and King Arthur, all become part of a vast, slightly paranoid puzzle. This book ties together the many threads that led up to the original Area 51 story - sometimes by stretching the historical truth, sometimes by fabricating things wholesale.

Doherty's style manages to keep this from becoming tedious, although I'm not sure I want to ever read any more about Donnchadh and Gwalcmei and their adventures. The book covers such a long period of time and so many events that the narrative sometimes gets thin, but, overall, interest gets maintained - I've certainly read worse in this genre. Since this is a prequel, it's not absolutely necessary to have read the other books in the series, but not knowing the future erodes the rational behind some of the actions in this volume.

In any case, it's quite readable, as it the entire series. I still find myself irritated occasionally by a plot that requires humans to be perpetually lagging intellectually. But if you are going to have alien super-races you are going to have to accept the existence of guileless humans. As long as we zap them in the end, I guess it's all right.

Rating:
Summary: Read the other books first
Review: Great book. Great series. There was so much going on that I couldn't put the book down until I finished it. The reader can tell the author put a lot of thought into fitting the history of our world with his fictional world of aliens. It is good as a stand-alone, but it helps to read the other books in the series first to fully grasp why the characters do what they do. There is such a history here that the author has to only touch on the subjects for fear of getting bogged down in too many flash-backs. In fact, that is my only gripe; that the flash-backs take up too much room. They are neccessary for first-time readers, but I, as a person who followed the entire series, found them to be just filler. I loved this book, but I think only because I read the series first.

Rating:
Summary: If you want real stuff go read a reality book!!!
Review: I loved this book and want to read the whole series. I have read quite a few peoples reviews on this book and the rest of the series. If you are looking for something more go read a book filled with facts. I for one love the fact that Doherty had enough gumption to write about this subject and tie in a bunch of past occurances. This is so interesting to have a different perspective on World events that occurred. The only world event that he really didn't have much to say about was the resurrection of Jesus and this is probably why. You can't pick fun at anything anymore without people getting upset.

If you want a good reader with no thought going into it, read this book. The story leads itself and you sit and enjoy the ride. The characters are just that: Characters and they are as good as some of the other books that I have read. You get a vivid background about a series that by the sounds of it is pretty good.

Rating:
Summary: If you want real stuff go read a reality book!!!
Review: I loved this book and want to read the whole series. I have read quite a few peoples reviews on this book and the rest of the series. If you are looking for something more go read a book filled with facts. I for one love the fact that Doherty had enough gumption to write about this subject and tie in a bunch of past occurances. This is so interesting to have a different perspective on World events that occurred. The only world event that he really didn't have much to say about was the resurrection of Jesus and this is probably why. You can't pick fun at anything anymore without people getting upset.

If you want a good reader with no thought going into it, read this book. The story leads itself and you sit and enjoy the ride. The characters are just that: Characters and they are as good as some of the other books that I have read. You get a vivid background about a series that by the sounds of it is pretty good.

Rating:
Summary: Area 51: Legend
Review: I made it just past two thirds of the book... I do not know if I can finish it... It is sooooooooooooo boring!!!! I will never buy books by this author again. It was the first and the last one.

Rating:
Summary: What a drag!
Review: I made it just past two thirds of the book... I do not know if I can finish it... It is sooooooooooooo boring!!!! I will never buy books by this author again. It was the first and the last one.

Rating:
Summary: I've read this book already...
Review: I swear, I musta said that 5 or 6 times while reading this book. "Man, I think I've read this book already." Actually had to look at the cover and "books in the series" inside cover flap to make sure it's a new book.

We are basically going over most everything that had already been gone over in the previous books...just from a different perspective. Many of the exact same events you've already read, but looking through different eyes. It's like the author decided to re-write these books because he has a different idea of how he wants to continue the series than he originally thought. Or, he needed to give more background on the events already transpired.

I dunno, it just felt a little strange reading the same book twice. Not really the same, but real close to being the same...without it really being the same. The same, but different...sorta.

Well, that's what I told a freind who's reading the series and asked what I thought of the new book. He just looked at me weird and asked if it was a good book. I said it was as good as the previous one I read...matter of fact, it was the same.

Anyway...one of these days mebbe the series will continue forward. I'd be real interested in getting to know the "swarm," and find out what they're all about and if they gonna be coming for us. If we ever get out of this loop we're stuck in right now, this series could really be a lotta fun.

Until then...look for basically the same.

Rating:
Summary: I've read this book already...
Review: I swear, I musta said that 5 or 6 times while reading this book. "Man, I think I've read this book already." Actually had to look at the cover and "books in the series" inside cover flap to make sure it's a new book.

We are basically going over most everything that had already been gone over in the previous books...just from a different perspective. Many of the exact same events you've already read, but looking through different eyes. It's like the author decided to re-write these books because he has a different idea of how he wants to continue the series than he originally thought. Or, he needed to give more background on the events already transpired.

I dunno, it just felt a little strange reading the same book twice. Not really the same, but real close to being the same...without it really being the same. The same, but different...sorta.

Well, that's what I told a freind who's reading the series and asked what I thought of the new book. He just looked at me weird and asked if it was a good book. I said it was as good as the previous one I read...matter of fact, it was the same.

Anyway...one of these days mebbe the series will continue forward. I'd be real interested in getting to know the "swarm," and find out what they're all about and if they gonna be coming for us. If we ever get out of this loop we're stuck in right now, this series could really be a lotta fun.

Until then...look for basically the same.

Rating:
Summary: Mostly a Rehash of Earlier Books
Review: I was very disappointed with this installment of the Area 51 saga. 80% of the book is nothing more than rehashed accounts already given in previous books. Many are word-for-word retellings. Frankly, the only substantially new information I found was (a) the Exodus, (b) the fall of Jerusalem and (c) greater detail concerning Arthur & Merlin.

I was further disappointed when the author failed to expand on storylines that could have used it. The attempt to build a deep space array at the Twin Sisters was pretty much glossed over and the interaction between Aspasia's and Artad's shadows/minions didn't even start until about page 200. Also, if it didn't happen at Atlantis, the Middle East or England, this book doesn't talk about it.

I could have easily skipped this book. It's the first I've read in the series that I wish I'd waited for it to appear in my local library. Doherty usually has a vivid imagination and his ability to associate the legends and legendary history of our planet with the Airlia storyline has been exceptional. But this book offered nothing new---no new insights into history, no new artifacts, no new insights into the Airlia, no new insights into the Guides, Ones Who Wait, Shadows or Watchers. I was very disappointed.